If a nucleus undergoes beta particle emission
a. its atomic number decreases by four and its mass number decreases by two.
b. its atomic number decreases by two and its mass number decreases by four.
c. its atomic number increases by one and its mass number is unchanged.
d. its atomic number decreases by one and its mass number increases by one.
e. its atomic number is unchanged and its mass number decreases by one.
Answer is D
nope.
And example for element X and I'll make up numbers.
24/12X ==>beta + Y
24/12 X ==> 0/-1 e + zYw and you want to know what z and w are.
The upper numbers add up on both sides. The lower numbers add up on both sides.
upper number first. 24 = 24 + ? so w must be 0
lower number next. 12 = -1 + ? so ?(or z) must be 25.
You can see that the lower number increases by 1 and the upper number stays the same.
To determine the correct answer, we need to understand what happens during beta particle emission. Beta particle emission occurs when a nucleus undergoes radioactive decay and emits a beta particle. A beta particle is essentially an electron or a positron (a positively charged electron).
During beta particle emission, a neutron in the nucleus is converted into a proton, and this new proton is released as a beta particle. The atomic number of an element is determined by the number of protons in its nucleus, so when a neutron converts into a proton during beta particle emission, the atomic number increases by one.
However, the mass number of an element is determined by the total number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus. Since only a neutron is converted into a proton and released as a beta particle, the mass number does not change during beta particle emission.
Now, let's evaluate the options given to find the correct answer:
a. Its atomic number decreases by four and its mass number decreases by two. - This is incorrect because beta particle emission increases the atomic number, not decreases it.
b. Its atomic number decreases by two and its mass number decreases by four. - This is incorrect for the same reason as option a.
c. Its atomic number increases by one and its mass number is unchanged. - This is correct because beta particle emission converts a neutron into a proton, increasing the atomic number by one, while the mass number remains unaffected.
d. Its atomic number decreases by one and its mass number increases by one. - This is incorrect because beta particle emission increases the atomic number, not decreases it.
e. Its atomic number is unchanged and its mass number decreases by one. - This is incorrect because the mass number is not changed during beta particle emission.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
d. Its atomic number decreases by one and its mass number increases by one.